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Behind the scenes at a TV pit stop shoot

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F1 Mole | 14:50 UK time, Friday, 19 June 2009

Shepperton Studios

Ever wondered exactly what happens in those few high-pressured seconds of a Formula 1 pit stop?

Well, you're in luck. The Mole grabbed a behind-the-scenes peek at a BBC shoot of a film which will be part of our British Grand Prix race coverage this weekend.

The basic concept of the TV feature is to use Time-Slice technology to freeze the action and move around the pit lane so expert analyst Martin Brundle can explain, in simple terms, exactly what happens in the critical window of time in which races can be be won or lost.

Brundle and the F1 production team joined up with Force India and some technical wizards from a company called Time Slice TV at the famous Shepperton Studios to make the film.

The end results, which you can watch on BBC 1 on Sunday, look quite similar to the action sequences in the Matrix. Albeit set in Surrey.

For now, you can see how the piece was made right here.

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Never one to be shy about sniffing out a potential news line, the Mole can also report that Adrian Sutil's race car was sporting a redesigned wing and Force India's chief race engineer Dominic Harlow tells us they will have a few more changes in time for this weekend's racing.

Filming was a time-consuming process, so patience was the watchword for the day's filming, for the TV crew and the Force India engineers, but all parties were happy with the results from a long and tiring but ultimately rewarding day.

And there were moments of light relief.

The poor BBC man who had to squeeze himself into svelte Adrian Sutil's race overalls was faced with various jibes - "Is that sprayed on?", "That must be a strong old zip" and "I think you should give lunch a miss".

The Mole is just happy that the helpful reporter, whose job was to sit in an expensive F1 car and brake at the right time as it headed backwards towards a wall of expensive cameras, did not get involved in any tit-for-tat badinage by revealing which member of the Force India team is obsessed with naked pit stops.

It's also probably a good idea that, on the day, he didn't share his theory that the crew looked a little bit like Storm Troopers dressed up for St Patrick's Day in their distinctive team overalls and reconditioned snowboard masks.

Keep your eyes peeled for the piece in the build-up coverage to Sunday's British Grand Prix. And if Force India pit stops are even more impressive than usual at Silverstone after all that endless practice, then you will know why. As well as what's actually going on.

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